My paternal grandparents
came to the United States in 1898. They
were fleeing from their home, which was then in Russia. The town where they lived—today’s Bialystok,
Poland—had just experienced a terrible pogrom.
Their Christian neighbors had rampaged through the streets beating and
killing Jews.
The only way my grandparents
survived was by barricading the door to their apartment. It is easy to understand why they sought
refuge in the United States. They did
not want to perish. Nor did they want
their two young daughters to suffer this fate.
European Jews had endured
centuries of oppression. They were
forced to live in ghettoes. Many
occupations were closed to them. And
when things went wrong, they were accused of fomenting trouble. Hitler was not their first tormentor. During the Middle Ages, thousands were
tortured and killed for ostensibly causing the plague.
No wonder I was raised to be
wary of Christians. No wonder a Jewish
high school teacher felt justified in warning that it was a bad idea for Jews
to marry Christians. Those who
surrounded me were aware of the legacy of oppression that haunted their
co-religionists and were not about to take chances.
But the United States is not
Europe. Anti-Semitism exists on these
shores, but is less virulent. When
growing up, half of my friends were Italian Catholics. Not once did I fear that they would attack me
for my faith. Today, I am married to a
woman who was raised an evangelical. Not
once have we fought about religious differences.
The Spanish Inquisition has
been discontinued. Jews may not be
welcome in every country club, but few neighborhoods are completely closed to
them. Meanwhile, the Muslim Louis Farrakhan
spews vile nonsense to receptive congregations; whereas most American
Christians reject his racist drivel out of hand.
The fact is that I like most
contemporary American Christians. What
is more, I admire many. Recently my wife
and I went to a Lenten fish fry at a local church. These were nice people. They were warm and welcoming. Why would I fear them?
In fact, observant
Christians and I share many values. We
all believe in honesty, fairness, and personal responsibility. We all stress the importance of family
values. When it comes to these crucial
principles, we are allies—not adversaries.
What is more, Christians who
practice their faith are often good people.
A dedication to their faith is part of the reason that they treat others
decently. Why would I be against that?
Not long ago, I attended a
debate about whether the gospels were historically reliable. Both protagonists were college
professors. Both had been raised
Christian, but one had become an agnostic.
Theirs was an open and honest discussion. It was a demonstration that modern
Christianity is vibrant and tolerant.
This broadmindedness was
evident not only on the stage, but in the audience. When it came time for the listeners to ask
questions, they did so thoughtfully and respectfully. They were sincerely grappling with how to
interpret their faith.
I appreciate this
attitude. It is a far cry from what I
once believed of Christian fundamentalists.
When I moved to Georgia, I feared that I was entering the Bible
Belt. I worried that I might be trapped
in an updated version of Inherit the Wind.
This turned out to be an
absurd caricature. So far were my
neighbors from being rigid ideologues that many of my KSU students did not
realize they were Protestants. They knew
they were Baptists, but were so devoid of denominational awareness that they
knew nothing of their church’s historical legacy.
When Thomas Jefferson was
fighting for religious liberty in colonial Virginia, the Anglican Church was
the established church. Even
non-believers had to pay taxes to support it.
When Cotton Mather was preaching from his New England pulpit, dissenters
were forcibly ejected from Massachusetts.
In some cases, they were executed.
That was then. This is now.
Why would I want to live in the past because of injustices done to my
forebears? Why would I refuse to embrace
good people merely because they believe a religion that has a checkered
history? I may not be a Christian, but I
happily defend today’s Christianity.
Melvyn L. Fein, Ph.D.
Professor of Sociology
Kennesaw State University
No comments:
Post a Comment